Mbr frame

ABSTRACT

Embodiments described methods, systems and apparatuses to utilize a plurality of membrane cartridges and a housing frame comprising a lightweight corrosion resistant material (e.g., non-corrosive metals, non-corrosive composites such as PVC, HDPE and FRP). The anti-corrosive properties of said frame allow of it to be re-used (e.g., with replaced MBR filters). Said MBR frame may be used in a single function or multi-function wastewater treatment container. Said container may also include a corrosion resistant liner coupled to interior portions of each of the base and side walls of the basin, an inlet to receive wastewater treatment influent into the basin, and an outlet to output wastewater treatment process material from the basin.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/605,374, filed Sep. 6, 2012, which claims priority to ProvisionalApplication No. 61/531,552 filed on Sep. 6, 2011, each of which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are frequently used for treating wastewater.An MBR combines biological treatment processes with membrane filtrationto provide organic and suspended solids removal. These systems typicallyprovide an advanced level of nutrient removal. Membrane filtrationprocesses provide high quality effluent to be transported through themembranes and generally function similarly to sedimentation andfiltration processes. Because the need for sedimentation is eliminated,the biological process can operate at much higher mixed liquor suspendedsolids concentrations.

One type of conventional system includes at least one biological reactorand a membrane filtration tank disposed downstream from the reactor. Amembrane module or cassette is typically submerged in the filtrationtank. Mixed liquor is transferred from the reactor to the downstreamfiltration tank. The membrane module or cassette typically includes anarray of submerged individual membrane filters. Mixed liquor is inducedinto the open space between the individual membrane filters, resultingin the mixed liquor being filtered and producing a permeate. Thepermeate is pumped or is flowing by gravity from the individual membranefilters and the filtration tank.

MBR systems are typically constructed out of stainless steel andmembrane cartridges connected to a stainless steel manifold where wateris pumped out of the cartridges via the manifold pipe connections to thecartridges. This solution is expensive and is designed for hugemonolithic systems that are expected to handle a high volume ofwastewater and stay fixed in one location for tens of years. Typicallythe cost of the MBR frame ranges in the 20-20% of the total cost of theMBR system.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the invention aredescribed with reference to the following figures, wherein likereference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various viewsunless otherwise specified. It should be appreciated that the followingfigures may not be drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is a top-view illustration of a modular wastewater treatmentcontainer according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a dynamically configurable and controllablewastewater treatment container having a plurality of basin compartmentsaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3A-FIG. 3D illustrate MBR frames according to embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a dynamically configurable and controllablewastewater treatment container configured to receive modular MBR framesaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a plurality of modular wastewater treatmentcontainers included in a wastewater treatment system according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

Descriptions of certain details and implementations follow, including adescription of the figures, which may depict some or all of theembodiments described below, as well as discussing other potentialembodiments or implementations of the inventive concepts presentedherein. An overview of embodiments of the invention is provided below,followed by a more detailed description with reference to the drawings.

DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of a method, apparatus and system of membrane bioreactor(MBR) housings and frames to be utilized in modular wastewater treatmentplant (WWTP). In the following description numerous specific details areset forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. Oneskilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the techniquesdescribed herein can be practiced without one or more of the specificdetails, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In otherinstances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shownor described in detail to avoid obscuring certain aspects.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, theappearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” invarious places throughout this specification are not necessarily allreferring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features,structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more embodiments.

In conventional MBR systems, a filtration tank is extremely largecompared to the size of the membrane modules or cassettes. This meansthat when the membrane module or cassette is placed in the filtrationtank, it is surrounded by mixed liquor or non-permeated mixed liquor.(i.e., mixed liquor in the filtration tank that has passed through themembrane module or modules in the filtration tank). The non-permeatedmixed liquor in the filtration tank tends to be recirculated multipletimes through the membrane module or cassette That is, the mixed liquoror non-permeated mixed liquor tends to move upwardly through themembrane module and exits the top of the module and then returnsdownwardly outside of the module, and then is induced back upwardlythrough the membrane module. In large filtration tanks storing a highvolume of wastewater, this means that the MBR frame housing the membranemodules needs to be relatively immovable (i.e., bolted to the floor) andsturdy (i.e., constructed from heavy, expensive corrosion resistantmaterials such as stainless steel). Embodiment MBR frame housings areutilized in modular wastewater treatment containers, and therefore aredesigned to be movable (e.g., for filter “hot-swapping” operations) anddo not necessarily require the robust housings of prior art solutions.

FIG. 1 is a top-view illustration of a modular wastewater treatmentcontainer according to an embodiment of the disclosure. In thisembodiment, intermodal container 100 is consistent with anyInternational Organization for Standardization (ISO) specification forintermodal containers (e.g., Technical Specification for Steel Dry CargoContainer, Spec. No. ITRU-40′-SA, Jun. 12, 2001) e.g., container 100 maybe a steel dry cargo container ISO 1AA type 410′×8′×8′6″ or 20′×8′×8′6″.In this embodiment, the interior of container 100 forms basin 110 (andthus, the terms “container” and “basin” is used interchangeably hereinto describe a similar structure). In other embodiments, a wastewatertreatment basin may be included in container 100, but said basin's shapeand volume may be independent of the dimensions of container 100.

FIG. 1 illustrates container 100 from a “top view,” thus illustratingside walls 120-123 and gravitational bottom (i.e., base) 130. It is tobe understood that references to “side walls” and “gravitational bottom”are used simply to distinguish the sides of the containers of theexample embodiment. In other embodiments of the invention, theorientation of a container including a wastewater treatment basin may besuch that a different side of the container is the “gravitationalbottom.”

Lining portions of the interior of container 100 with a corrosionresistant liner may form a basin to hold waste water process material.In this embodiment, basin 110 is formed by lining the interior ofcontainer 100 with corrosive resistant liner 150. Liner 150 may compriseat least one layer of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Low Density Polyethylene(LDPE) or High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) liner. It is to be understoodthat utilizing an ISO container and said liner material to construct awastewater treatment basin significantly reduces the costs of said basincompared to materials used in the prior art (e.g., concrete andstainless steel). In one embodiment, liner 150 may be coupled to steelgrommets (such as grommet 151), which are further fastened to the steelhooks (such as hook 152) on the inside of container 100. The steel hooksmay be welded to the inside of sidewalls 120-123 at the gravitationaltop of container 100.

Container 100 further includes inlet 160 and outlet 170. In thisembodiment, inlet 160 and outlet 170 are two circular holes cut intocontainer sidewalls 12.1 and 122, respectively, and the correspondingportions of liner 150 to accommodate inlet and outlet pipes 161 and 171.Thus, wastewater flows in and out of the basin 100 via pipes 161 and171. The inlet and outlet pipes may be secured to sidewalls 121 and 122of container 100 by welding flanged L shaped pipe rings (e.g., pipe ring173) to the interior and exterior of said container sidewalls.

It is to be understood that in other embodiments, an inlet and an outletfor the basin may be any opening that allows wastewater treatmentprocess material to enter and exit the basin. Furthermore, it is to beunderstood that the inlet/outlet of a basin may be a single access pointof the basin (e.g., an exposed portion of a gravitational top of a basinmay function as both an inlet and an outlet).

Inlet pipe 161 and outlet pipe 171 may each be an HDPE pipe. The HDPEpipes may be inserted into pipe rings and held in place in the piperings by attaching the HDPE flanges (e.g., flange 172) to the HDPE pipeusing socket fusion welding. HDPE flanges may be attached to a flangedpipe ring (e.g., pipe ring 173) with screws which may be collectivelyunderneath liner 150. The perimeter of inlet 160 and outlet 170 may besecured to their respective HDPE pipes using a rubber gasket and analuminium fastener (e.g., fastener 164) on the interior side of liner150.

Container 100 enables a modular design approach for a WWTP bysubdividing said systems into smaller parts which may be easilymanufactured and transported. For example, in the event increasedcapacity is desired, additional containers may be inexpensively added tomeet the demand. Furthermore, WWTP components according to embodimentsof the invention may be independently created and replaced, therebyreducing the labor and costs associated with lifetime maintenance of aWWTP.

In embodiments where container 100 is to include MBR filters (e.g.,wherein container 100 is a single function WWTP container, or amulti-function WWTP container as described below), prior stainless steelframes cannot be easily secured inside an ISO based WWTP container thatutilizes a liner (e.g., HDPE liner) for basin water integrity. Becauseof the massive weight for stainless steel, prior art MBR framestypically require anchoring to the floor of a steel or concrete basin.There is no cost effective and failsafe method of securing the steelcontainer through an HDPE or other plastic liner said stainless steelMBR frame would easily tear through the HDPE liner if it is at all movedfrom its affixed position).

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a dynamically configurable and controllablewastewater treatment container having a plurality of basin compartmentsaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure. In this embodiment,modular basin 200 includes a plurality of wastewater treatmentcompartments, each executing a specific wastewater treatment function.

In this embodiment, modular basin 200 receives wastewater from aninfluent source (e.g., a collection system) via headworks pipes 205 intoanoxic compartment 210. In sonic embodiments, at the start of thewastewater purification process there is a requirement to remove allsolids larger than a threshold value (e.g., 2 mm in diameter). Thisphase of treatment may be referred to as “headworks” processing. Thisprocessing may be executed in a standalone wastewater treatmentcontainer, or incorporated in a multi-function wastewater treatmentcontainer.

When anoxic conditions are desired, anoxic compartment 210 may divertair away from the wastewater influent via outlet 211 in order to executean anoxic process (e.g., de-nitrification of nitrates and nitrites).Modular basin 200 further includes weir 215 disposed between anoxiccompartment 210 and aeration compartment 220 (described below). In orderfor modular basin 200 to execute a plurality of wastewater treatmentfunctions, certain water levels may be maintained in various wastewatertreatment processing compartments. It is also desirable to takeadvantage of “gravity flow” in order to reduce the number of mechanicalpumps necessary to move water within the modular basin. Weir 215 may beutilized in embodiments of the invention to address this problem. In oneembodiment, weir 215 is an overflow barrier that forms a controlledwaterfall to alter the flow characteristics of wastewater transferredfrom anoxic compartment 210 to aeration compartment 220. In anotherembodiment, weir 215 is a modified pipe-weir. Said weir may be affixedto one of the interior walls of modular basin 200, and may be lower inheight or perforated with holes at the desired water level.

In the illustrated example embodiment, once anoxic compartment 210 isfilled, the water overflows into adjacent aeration compartment 220 viaweir 215. The wastewater remains at the weir wall height in anoxiccompartment 210 in perpetuity, while the water level in aerationcompartment 220 fluctuates as a function of the water coming into theanoxic compartment (i.e., wastewater received at input 205 of modularwastewater container 200).

Modular basin 200 further includes aeration (i.e., pre-air) compartment220 to deliver a suitable amount of air into the wastewater influentreceived from anoxic compartment 210 to promote aerobic reactions (e.g.,a reaction taking place in the presence of oxygen) within the basin via,for example, air bubbles, compressed air streams, or any means to injectair into the wastewater influent. Said aerobic reaction may reduce thebiochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and may further nitrify ammonia presentin the wastewater influent to nitrate.

In this embodiment, aeration compartment 220 utilizes a mixer and coarseaeration bubble diffusers; aeration is supplied to aeration compartment220 via positive displacement aeration pumps 221 to pump pipe air to thediffusers.

Weir 225 controls the flow of wastewater influent from aerationcompartment 220 to MBR compartment 230. Weir 225 may comprise anyembodiment similar to that of weir 215.

MBR compartment 230 executes both bio-reactive treatment processes withmembrane separation processes. MBR compartment 230 uses membranes toseparate and concentrate the biomass by removing wastewater (as opposedto using settling processes) Furthermore, said MBR compartment mayretain particulate matter, remove a high percentage of pathogens, andremove dissolved materials from the wastewater influent.

Membranes utilized by MBR compartment 230 may be of any material (e.g.,synthetic or natural) or porosity determined based on systemrequirements (e.g., quality requirements of the effluent). For example,said MBR compartment may utilize reverse osmosis, nanofiltration,ultrafiltration, microfiltration, or any other solid/liquid separationmembranes known in the art. Said membranes may be of any configurationsuitable for modular basin 200 (e sheet, hollow tube). In oneembodiment, MBR compartment 230 utilizes polypropylene membrane filterscomprising 0.4 micrometer pores.

In this embodiment, MBR compartment 230 includes air blowers 231 toprovide aeration to the compartment to reduce BOD, convert ammonia tonitrate, and provide air scour to reduce fouling. Sodium hypochloritemay be pumped through the membranes of the compartment to preventfouling of the membrane filters, and aluminum and magnesium sulfate maybe fed into the MBR compartment to neutralize the pH levels of thewastewater influent.

Weir 235 controls the flow of wastewater influent from MBR compartment230 to WAS compartment 240. Weir 235 may comprise any embodiment similarto that of weirs 215 and 225.

WAS compartment 240 may execute any solids processing means known in theart. In one embodiment, pipe 241 transfers WAS from basin 200 forfurther processing (e.g., disposal, solids discharging, etc.) viaeffluent pipe 299.

Control compartment 250 may monitor the operation conditions of thevarious compartments of basin 200, and may collect and transmit sensordata, manage the operation of the basin, bring the basin online oroffline, etc. In this embodiment, liner wall 245 separates controlcompartment 250 from the wastewater treatment compartments describedabove.

The modular wastewater treatment basins described above allow forautomated WWTP system planning and construction. Each individual basinmay be uniformly constructed, stackable, and operable; enabling multipleWWTP system sites to have the same basin configurations, the samehardware, the same power and piping configurations, etc. Thus, a WWTPsystem site may be planned and designed based on a minimum amount ofoperating parameters.

As described above, in some embodiments of the invention a modularwastewater treatment container is to include a plurality of basins. Saidcontainers may utilize weirs to form these basins (alternativelyreferred to herein as “basin components.”) In order for a modularwastewater treatment container to include a plurality of basincompartments that separately perform a wastewater treatment function,certain water levels should be maintained in the various compartments.It is also desirable to take advantage of “gravity flow” in order toreduce the number of mechanical pumps necessary to move water aroundwithin the modular wastewater treatment container.

Due to the modular capability of container 200, a huge stainless steelMBR frame is impractical to use, in terms of both cost and efficiency.As discussed above, another disadvantage of the stainless steel frame isthat it cannot be easily secured inside an ISO based WWTP container thatutilizes a liner (e.g., HDPE liner) for basin water integrity. Becauseof the massive weight for stainless steel, prior art MBR framestypically require anchoring to the floor of a steel or concrete basin.There is no cost effective and failsafe method of securing the steelcontainer through an HDPE or other plastic liner (e.g., said stainlesssteel MBR frame would easily tear through the HDPE liner if it is at allmoved from its affixed position).

FIG. 3A-FIG. 3D illustrate MBR frames according to embodiments of thedisclosure. In this example, MBR cartridge 300 is shown to includeplurality of membrane cartridges 301 and housing frame 310 comprising alightweight corrosion resistant material (e.g., non-corrosive metals,non-corrosive composites such as PVC, HDPE and fiberglass reinforcedplastic (FRP)). The anti-corrosive properties of said frame allow of itto be re-used (e.g., with replaced MBR filters). In this example, MBRfilters 301 are shown to be spaced apart for illustration clarificationpurposes only; embodiment may include MBR filters in a more denselypacked configuration.

Said MBR frame may be used in a multi-function wastewater treatmentcontainer having a basin, the basin to include a base, a gravitationaltop opposite the base, a plurality of side walls, an MBR basincompartment, and (in some embodiments) a second basin compartmentexecuting a different wastewater treatment function. Said container mayalso include a corrosion resistant liner coupled to interior portions ofeach of the base and side walls of the basin, an inlet to receivewastewater treatment influent into the basin, and an outlet to outputwastewater treatment process material from the basin. In thisembodiment, MBR frame 310 is shown to be coupled to hanging rods 320 forinstallation within a WWTP container.

In some embodiments, MBR frame 310 comprises a lightweight corrosionresistant material (e.g., Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) or any functionalequivalent). Said MBR frame may be buoyant with respect to thesurrounding WWTP influent. In other words, MBR frame 310, even whenloaded with plurality of MBR filters 301, may potentially move withinthe container or sub-compartment due to being buoyant (i.e., having alower weight density) than the surrounding wastewater material.

In some embodiments, the gravitational top of the host WWTP basinincludes a component to restrict vertical movement of MBR frame 310. Insome embodiments, the multi-function wastewater treatment containerfurther includes a plurality of pipes to transfer at least one of airand wastewater material between the host MBR compartment and a secondcompartment, and MBR frame 310 is coupled to the plurality of pipes torestrict horizontal movement of the MBR frame. Thus, in someembodiments, MBR frame 310 is not affixed to the base of the basin. Itis understood that prior art MBR frames are too heavy to be safelycoupled to WWTP pipes (i.e., said prior art frames would likely damageor displace said pipes).

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a dynamically configurable and controllablewastewater treatment container configured to receive modular MBR framesaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure. In this embodiment, WWTPcontainer 400 includes openings 401 and 402, for which headworks anddewatering structures may be received. Access doors 410 may be used toinstall modular MBR cartridges for WWTP container 400. Thus, container400 enables a modular design approach for a WWTP container bysubdividing into smaller parts to receive (i.e., to have installed)various WWTP modular components, thereby increasing the efficiency ofthe manufacture and transport of WWTP solutions.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a plurality of modular wastewater treatmentcontainers included in a wastewater treatment system according to anembodiment of the disclosure. In this embodiment, wastewater treatmentsystem 500 includes plurality of containers 501-594. Said containers maybe consistent with ISO specifications for intermodal containers asdescribed above. In some embodiments, containers 501-594 act in concertto perform the same wastewater management function (e.g., containers501-594 may function together as MBR basins) or functions (e.g.,containers 501-594 may each comprise a multi-function WWTPcontainer,such as container 300 of FIG. 3). In other embodiments, saidcontainers may each perform a separate function (e.g., some containersmay function as an aeration tank while others containers may function asa membrane/MBR basin), or may each perform a plurality of functions. Insome embodiments, containers 501-594 may be utilized to form an entireWWTP, while in other embodiments said containers may augment a prior artwastewater treatment system.

In the illustrated embodiment, containers 501-540 are shown as being inan “online” state; for example, containers 501-540 may be configured toperform the function of an equalization basin, and thus are “online” toreceive wastewater input flow for system 500. Containers 541-594 areshown as being in an “offline” state; for example, containers 541-594are configured so they cannot receive wastewater input flow for system500. In other words, as illustrated in this example containers 501-594may represent the potential capacity of system 500, but system 500 hasan actual capacity represented by containers 501-540.

In some embodiments, containers 501-594 are brought offline due to MBRcartridge filter operational states (e.g., filters need replacing, aremalfunctioning, etc.). Embodiment MBR frames are easily and quicklyremoved and/or replaced due to their lightweight properties. Thus, insome embodiments, offline containers are brought offline and their WWTPinfluent is re-routed to online containers executing a similar functionuntil their MBR frames are operational.

A control module or logic may monitor the wastewater input (i.e.,influent) flow of system 500, and determine whether the capacity ofonline containers 501-540 is higher than the input flow; if the inputflow is higher, some of offline-basins 541-594 are brought online toincrease the operational capacity of system 500. Thus, the expansion ofsystem 500 may be incremental, with no additional construction to theWWTP required. The control module or logic may configure the capacity ofsystem 500 in response to any system level event or operating parameterthat may require the operational capacity of system 500 to be increased,such as a significant increase in input flow, changes to theinput/output water quality of system 500, a determination that at leastone of online containers 501-540 is malfunctioning, overflow/underflowconditions, etc.

Various components referred to above as processes, servers, or toolsdescribed herein may be a means for performing the functions described.Each component described herein includes software or hardware, or acombination of these. Each and all components may be implemented assoftware modules, hardware modules, special-purpose hardware (e.g.,application specific hardware, ASICs, DSPs, etc.), embedded controllers,hardwired circuitry, hardware logic, etc. Software content (e.g., data,instructions, configuration) may be provided via an article ofmanufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer or machinereadable storage medium, which provides content that representsinstructions that can be executed. The content may result in a computerperforming various functions/operations described herein.

A computer readable non-transitory storage medium includes any mechanismthat provides (i.e., stores and/or transmits) information in a formaccessible by a computer (e.g., computing device, electronic system,etc.), such as recordable/non-recordable media (e.g., read only memory(ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, opticalstorage media, flash memory devices, etc.). The content may be directlyexecutable (“object” or “executable” form), source code, or differencecode (“delta” or “patch” code). A computer readable non-transitorystorage medium may also include a storage or database from which contentcan be downloaded. Said computer readable medium may also include adevice or product having content stored thereon at a time of sale ordelivery. Thus, delivering a device with stored content, or offeringcontent for download over a communication medium may be understood asproviding an article of manufacture with such content described herein.

The above description of illustrated embodiments of the invention,including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention aredescribed herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications arepossible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in therelevant art will recognize.

These modifications can be made to the invention in light of the abovedetailed description. The terms used in the following claims should notbe construed to limit the invention to the specific embodimentsdisclosed in the specification. Rather, the scope of the invention to bedetermined entirely by the following claims, which are to be construedin accordance with established doctrines of claim interpretation.

1. An apparatus comprising: a wastewater treatment container; a basinincluded in the wastewater treatment container, the basin to include abase, a gravitational top opposite the base, a plurality of side walls,a membrane bioreactor (MBR) basin compartment, and a second basincompartment executing a different wastewater treatment function; acorrosion resistant liner coupled to interior portions of each of thebase and side walls of the basin; an MBR frame included in the MBR basincompartment to include a plurality of membrane cartridges and comprisinga lightweight, corrosion resistant, non-metal composite material; aninlet to receive wastewater treatment influent into the basin; and anoutlet to output wastewater treatment process material from the basin;wherein the gravitational top of the basin includes a component torestrict vertical movement of the MBR frame.